my blessed life

It's almost time for the big day!  I love Thanksgiving and am really looking forward to it this year.  We'll be having our meal at my parents' house--which is very close by--with family and friends.  I've been busy the past few days finalizing our menu with my mom and sister and making my grocery list.  As usual, we have gone overboard and are preparing a ridiculous amount of food!  I can hardly wait! :) Here is our menu (links are included for the recipes we'll be using): Thanksgiving 2014 Appetizers Stuffed Date Rumaki Pickles & Olive plate Main Course Roasted Turkey Crockpot Dressing Giblet Gravy Cranberry Sauce Mashed Potatoes Green Bean Casserole Corn Casserole Brussels Sprouts Sweet Potato Casserole Baked Macaroni & Cheese Buttered Corn Copper Pennies 9-Layer Salad Fruit Salad Rolls Dessert Chocolate Cream Pie Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie Apple Pie

Yesterday was our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.  Even though I could only sit on the front porch and enjoy the porch swing, I wouldn't have missed it.  It's a family tradition for us to visit the pumpkin patch~wherever we may live.   When we lived in Alabama we absolutely loved McGee Farm.   In Arkansas our favorite place was  Wild Things Farm (which is technically in Oklahoma).   Here in Kentucky we simply adore Christian Way Farm.   We just wouldn't miss a chance to go feed the animals (goats, pigs, donkeys, cows, horses, kittens, dogs, you-name-it), take a ride out to the corn maze and pumpkin patch, play on the hay castle, grind some feed corn ...there's just something about being out on the farm that is so peaceful and soothing to one's soul.   Today was no different (except that I wasn't roaming the farm with the rest of the family--these photos are courtesy of my hubby).  It was a perfect fall day, with cool t...

I'm not sure how it is in other countries where they also celebrate a day of thanksgiving, but here in America Thanksgiving is by and large very traditional. Wouldn't you agree? Most of us tend to eat with the same people (our families) and eat the same foods every year, right? At least that's how it is with me and my family. Obviously, places and times change throughout the years, but my family has a long-standing tradition of having Thanksgiving dinner together--even if we have to travel hundreds of miles to do so. This year is no exception either. I have just spent all of yesterday traveling with my husband and children across several states to be with our families this week. And we will celebrate by eating all of our favorite *Thanksgivingish* foods on Thursday. I do like to try out a new recipe or two every year though. Last year I made several new ones. This year I am repeating a couple of those since they are now new favorites and I am trying out one brand n...

Today I am honored to be guest posting about *Traditions* over at Hope Filled Living Magazine . Mary 's blog is lovely and encouraging to all who visit. I hope you'll take some time to hope over there and visit her (and me!).

With Easter just over a week away I've been thinking about some of the fun things that we do as a family each year. We really enjoy the seasons and the holidays around here! Each Spring we look forward to flying kites. So far this year we've only had a chance to try it once and it wasn't the windiest day, but we had fun anyway. We'll also be dying eggs and making sugar cookies with the Easter/Spring cutters from our cookie cutter collection. We have cookie cutters for most every occasion! Another favorite tradition that we've only been doing for the past two years is spending time at the beach. We LOVE going with the kiddos because they enjoy it so much! I hope it's a family tradition that we can continue even when we move further away from the beach. In the fall we always head to a pumpkin patch. Picking out pumpkins and carving them is a very fun family tradition for us. These are just a few of our family traditions. As you can see, some of our family traditio...

Not long ago I mentioned in one of my posts how I come from a family of quilters. I personally have not yet learned how to quilt, but I would really like to. I've even been collecting fabrics that I like in hopes of someday making my very own quilt. I have been a part of making a quilt top however, even though I wasn't in on the quilting process. When I was still in elementary school~maybe 9 or 10~my grandma basted up some quilt blocks for me to embroider. I think I must've expressed some interest and that inspired her. That was her quilting style. She has made hundreds of quilts in her lifetime, some pieced and patchwork, but most of them have beautifully embroidered blocks. She made the most perfect stitches. And with only a few exceptions, her quilts were always made with whatever scraps she had~or was given by her daughters since most of them sewed. That makes her quilts even more special because on most any of her quilts I can find blocks made from scraps from clothe...

Well, it's already January 2nd!! Did you have a good New Year? I hope so--we sure did! Ours was nice and relaxed. On New Year's Eve we stayed home with the kiddos. I prepared a sort-of-antipasto meal for us and then we went into the backyard and shot off a few Roman candles. The kiddos loved that! Afterwards we tucked them in bed (before 9), then Vince and I relaxed a little with some sparkling grape juice and a little tv. Not that exciting, I know, but it worked for us this year:) Maybe next year we'll go on a hot date--it's been a few New Year's Eves ago since we had a chance to do that. I'm not big on New Year's eve parties, but I do like a nice date with my hubby at a *fancy* restaurant. What about you? I noticed everyone has been choosing "cozy night at home" on my little sidebar poll. On New Year's Day we invited some friends over to just hang out, eat, watch some football and play some Cranium. That was a lot of fun! Like good Southerner...

Vince and I have been married for 11 1/2 years now and for the last 10 of those I have been making us the same special Christmas breakfast each year. It's really pretty simple, but it looks like you went to a lot of effort. I got the egg recipe from the owners of our favorite bed and breakfast. We spent our wedding night there and also an anniversary and birthday or two (way back in the day before kiddos-ha!). If you're ever in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area I highly recommend Beland Manor . It's a special place. Christmas Breakfast Menu ******* Shirred Eggs Candied Bacon Crescent Rolls with Mom's Apple Butter ******** Shirred Eggs (from Mike & Suzy at Beland Manor Bed & Breakfast ) 1. take as many ramekins as you need for servings 2. in the bottom of each ramekin place some cooked pieces of ham or bacon 3. top meat with some shredded Swiss (provolone, mozzarella, etc.) cheese 4. gently crack an egg over the cheese without breaking the yolk 5. pour he...